Ready-to-eat-cereal containing psyllium and use thereof for lowering cholesterol levels

ABSTRACT

A ready-to-eat cereal product contains a substantial portion of typical cereal grain component, such as bran, wheat and the like, together with a therapeutic quantity of psyllium. The quantity of psyllium is sufficient to reduce the cholesterol level of humans and animals when part of the diet. The psyllium may be added as an intermediate psyllium product prepared by directly expanding psyllium husks, either by itself or together with minor amounts of other ingredients. The psyllium intermediate is preferably added during the process for making the final cereal product after the typical cereal grain components have been totally or partially cooked.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a novel ready-to-eat cereal foodproduct containing a therapeutic quantity of psyllium and to a processfor producing same. In addition, the invention involves a novel extrudedpsyllium product particularly useful as an intermediate in theproduction of ready-to-eat psyllium-containing cereals and otherfoodstuffs.

BACKGROUND ART

Psyllium is a known mucilaginous material which has found extensive usein bulk laxatives. The source of psyllium is the seeds from the plantsof the Plantago genus, which grows in certain sub-tropical regions. Theseeds are dark brown, smooth, boat-shaped and shiny. Since it isbelieved by those skilled in the art that the active ingredient ofpsyllium is the psyllium seed gum, which is located primarily in theseed husk, present technology uses the ground seed husk as the sourcefor psyllium. However, the whole seed is also known as a psylliumsource, as well as the dehusked psyllium seed.

Due to the mucilaginous nature of psyllium, however, psyllium acquires aslimy or adhesive texture and mouthfeel upon hydration. This slimymouthfeel is unpalatable and, accordingly, various additives have beenincorporated in psyllium-containing ingestible compositions in order tomask the undesirable texture and mouthfeel of the psyllium. In addition,psyllium develops a distinctive, undesirable flavor in the presence ofheat and moisture which further limits its use in food products.

Notwithstanding the undesirable flavor and texture imparted to aningestible composition by psyllium or psyllium husks, variouspsyllium-containing foodstuffs have been proposed which purport to takeadvantage of the natural digestion regulation properties of psyllium, orthe satiating or "fullness-feeling" effect of psyllium. See, forexample, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,574,634 and 4,348,379.

In addition, it has been suggested, for example in U.S. Pat. No.3,148,114, that whole psyllium husks, such as the ground husks of theseed of Plantago psyllium, lowers blood cholesterol upon oraladministration thereof. Further, it has also long been known to usesmall quantities of psyllium, such as less than 1%, as a thickener infoodstuffs, such as in ice cream, puddings and the like.

Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,849,222 discloses a medicament composition forreducing blood cholesterol levels in humans and lower animals whichcomprises a mixture of psyllium seed gum, or source of psyllium seedgum, and a nonabsorbable, nondigestible polyol polyester.

However, as set forth above, the mucilaginous nature of psyllium huskspresents grave processing difficulties, and prior attempts to produce apalatable, ready-to-eat food product containing psyllium have notresulted in a satisfactory product to date, particularly, with respectto flavor and texture or mouthfeel.

It is therefore the principal object of the present invention to providea ready-to-eat breakfast cereal containing a significant quantity ofpsyllium which has good textural and flavor characteristics,particularly mouthfeel.

Another object of the present invention is to provide apsyllium-containing ready-to-eat cereal which avoids the organolepticdrawbacks previously associated with all psyllium-containing foodstuffs.

A further object of the present invention is to provide apsyllium-containing cereal which is effective in reducing serum and/orliver cholesterol levels in animals and humans.

In addition, it is an object of the present invention to provide acereal product in which all the healthful characteristics associatedwith ingesting raw psyllium are retained with the final productexhibiting good organoleptic qualities.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an extrudedpsyllium-containing product useful as an intermediate or additive in aprocess for producing a psyllium-containing food product.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an economicprocess for producing a psyllium-containing cereal having good texturaland flavor characteristics, which utilizes standard type equipmentemployed in the ready-to-eat cereal making art.

Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description and examples thereof.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a novel breakfast cereal which containsa quantity of psyllium sufficient to provide a hypocholesterolemiceffect if ingested by humans and lower animals (hereinafter generically"animals"). The source for the psyllium in the present invention can bepsyllium seed husk, whole psyllium seed or dehusked psyllium seed. Whenso ingested, the psyllium-containing cereal effectively reduces theanimal serum and/or liver cholesterol levels. In addition, othertherapeutic benefits from psyllium can be achieved by such cerealproduct, including lowered glycemic index and laxative effectiveness.

The psyllium concentration in the finished cereal product should be atleast 2% by dry weight basis and probably no more than 25-30% by dryweight basis. Preferably, the psyllium concentration should be 6-19%,and about 11-14% appears most desirable. All of the weight percentagesset forth herein are on a dry basis, whether or not so stated. It hasbeen found that a ready-to-eat cereal containing psyllium within theseranges can be made which has good flavor and textural characteristicsand does not exhibit the slimy mouthfeel typical of priorpsyllium-containing ingestible compositions.

The psyllium-containing cereal of the present invention can take theform of any conventional ready-to-eat cereal, such as flakes, biscuitsand other shred products, puffed products, morsels, and otherconventional cereal piece shapes.

The present invention also involves a novel process for producing thepsyllium-containing cereal. Psyllium develops flavor in the presence ofheat and moisture like cereal grains. The flavor developed throughconventional processing of psyllium, however, is not acceptable in afood product. Further, psyllium contains a gum. Gums develop a slimytexture on hydration which occurs during conventional cereal processing.Accordingly, product formulations and processing procedures are designedto develop the flavors and texture attributes found in other cerealproducts, while avoiding or minimizing the undesirable flavor andtextural characteristics of processed psyllium.

Therefore, according to a preferred form of the present invention, anovel psyllium-containing intermediate product or additive is produced,which can then be added to typical bulk cereal starting material ormaterials after the starting material has been totally or partiallycooked. The psyllium intermediate and the cooked cereal product orproducts are then processed into the finished psyllium-containing cerealof the present invention. This novel psyllium-containing intermediateproduct is preferably formed by directly expanding psyllium husks intonuggets with or without other minor ingredients such as used in thecereal art, including oat bran, wheat bran, any starch source (like riceflour and corn flour), sucrose, soy fiber, pectin, salt and otherflavoring ingredients. The quantity of psyllium in the nuggetintermediate product should preferably be at least 75%, but can besubstantially lower depending upon the proportion of intermediateproduct which is to be added and the type of cooked cereal used.

When the novel psyllium nuggets are physically blended with a cookedbulk cereal ingredient, and then the resultant blended mixture is formedinto shaped cereal pieces, a high degree of cholesterol reduction isachieved by ingesting the cereal product. A wide variety of bulk cerealingredients can be combined with the intermediate psyllium nuggets inaccordance with the present invention. These cereal ingredients includewhole grains such as whole wheat, rice, oats, barley, corn and rye,grain components such as wheat germ and brans including oat bran, wheatbran, etc., flours such as wheat flour, corn flour, etc., legumes suchas soybeans, peas, beans and the like, and non-bran fiber sources suchas prune fiber, guar, beet fiber, and citrus pulp, and other novel rawmaterial ingredients.

In addition, it is believed that similar hypocholesterolemiceffectiveness can be achieved for other foodstuffs, without theorganoleptic disadvantages associated with psyllium, by preparing suchfoodstuffs with a sufficient quantity of the intermediate psylliumnugget product of the present invention. Such foodstuffs can includenon-cereal products such as cookies, cereal bars, waffles and the like,dried fruit pieces and fruit fillings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 are graphs depicting weekly food efficiency ratios(FIG. 1), weekly food intake (FIG. 2) and weekly body gain (FIG. 3) withrespect to hamsters fed controlled diets to demonstrates the method forlowering blood cholesterol of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The ready-to-eat psyllium-containing cereal of the present invention maybe produced in one of many ways, depending upon the desired final shapeof the ready-to-eat cereal pieces and the production steps and equipmentto be used. For example, the production of biscuits, morsels puffedproducts, and flakes all , require different process steps andequipment.

A psyllium-containing ready-to-eat cereal in the form of extrudedmorsels can be produced as follows. The starting bulk ingredients areblended together with a psyllium starting material. An appropriatepsyllium starting material is sterilized raw psyllium husks.Sterilization of psyllium husks can be accomplished by knownsterilization procedures. A small amount of citric acid, on the order of1.5% by weight, may be used as an additive to the sterilized psyllium.

Typical bulk starting ingredients for the extruded morsel product areset forth in Table 1 below.

                  TABLE 1                                                         ______________________________________                                                      % Finished Product                                              Ingredient    Dry Basis Wt.                                                   ______________________________________                                        Wheat bran    25-75                                                           Sugar         5-30                                                            Psyllium husks                                                                              2-30                                                            Corn bran     0-15                                                            ______________________________________                                    

Other known bulk cereal ingredients can be substituted for the wheatbran and corn bran specified. The other ingredients include whole grainssuch as whole wheat, rice, oats, barley, corn and rye, grain componentssuch as wheat germ and brans including oat bran, wheat bran, etc.,flours such as wheat flour, corn flour, etc., legumes such as soybeans,peas, beans and the like, and non-bran fiber sources such as prunefiber, guar, beet fiber, and citrus pulp, and other novel raw materialingredients. The psyllium component is preferably in the range of about6-19% and most preferably 11-14%.

The mixed bulk ingredients are conveyed to an extruder as a blendedmixture where the mixture is cooked and then extruded into shaped pieceshaving the desired final morsels shape of the cereal product. Theextruded shaped pieces are conveyed to and through a drier and thenconveyed through cooling equipment and finally packaged as a finishedproduct. During this processing, additional minor ingredients andfortifying additives are added in a conventional manner. Those flavoringredients and fortifying additives can be varied depending upon thedesired characteristics of the final cereal product and are well knownin the art. With the exception of adding the psyllium husks to the bulkstarting ingredients, the procedures for making psyllium-containingmorsels follow conventional cereal bran processing techniques.

The preferred psyllium-containing ready-to-eat bran cereal in the formof extruded morsels, in accordance with the present invention, exhibitsgood color, flavor, appearance and texture without the typicallyundesirable flavor and mouthfeel of psyllium. In taste panel testing,the psyllium-containing morsels cereal product of the present inventionwas rated acceptable.

In an alternate and preferred form of the present invention, thepsyllium starting material is first separately processed into anintermediate product which can be added to cereal grain or grains aftercooking. By separately processing the psyllium into an intermediateproduct and then adding that product to the bulk cereal grain ingredientor ingredients after cooking or partial cooking, the unpleasant taste,texture and mouthfeel characteristics of psyllium are suppressed whilethe desired healthful characteristics of the psyllium are still retainedin the final cereal product.

This intermediate psyllium-containing product can be produced asfollows. Sterilized psyllium husks, which may or may not have beentreated with citric acid in a known amount, e.g., about 1.5% by weight,are mixed and blended with oat bran, rice flour and sucrose. Preferably,these ingredients are mixed in the amounts set forth in Table 2 below.

                  TABLE 2                                                         ______________________________________                                                    % finished product                                                            dry basis wt.                                                     ______________________________________                                        Psyllium husks                                                                               50-100%                                                        Oat bran      0-50                                                            Sucrose       0-25                                                            Rice flour    0-25                                                            ______________________________________                                    

The type and quantity of the other ingredients which can be combinedwith psyllium in formulating the intermediate product can be variedgreatly. Examples of other ingredients include wheat bran, other starchsources such as corn flour, soy fiber, pectin, salt and other flavoringingredients. An especially preferred mixture is 75% by dry weightpsyllium husks with citric acid, 15% dry weight oat bran, 5% by dryweight sucrose, and 5% by dry weight rice flour.

The blended mixture is introduced into a food extruder where the mixtureis directly expanded to produce an extruded nugget product. The extrudednuggets are then cooled and subsequently dried to a moisture content ofless than 12% by weight. Preferably, the cooled extruded product isdried to a moisture content of approximately 2-8% by weight, and mostdesirably to about 3-5% by weight.

The preferred psyllium-containing intermediate nugget product of thepresent invention has a dull, opaque beige cast over a dull medium brownbase color. The nuggets have a dense, very hard, glassy, and brittletexture, in a round to slightly oval shape, generally about the size ofa bebe, approximately 1/8-1/4 inch in diameter. The nuggets have arough, irregular surface with some air pockets, located either in theinterior or broken open on the surface. The nuggets exhibit a strong,characteristic psyllium odor and flavor.

Psyllium-containing ready-to-eat cereal flakes can be produced using theintermediate nuggets in accordance with the following procedure. Thebulk ingredient of the cereal, for example, wheat bran or a mixture ofwheat bran and oat bran, is cooked in a standard rotary cooker. Theintermediate psyllium-containing product, produced as described above,is then added to the cooked bran, and the resultant mixture is blended.

A typical blend of the resultant mixture is set forth below in Table 3.

                  TABLE 3                                                         ______________________________________                                                       % finished product                                                            dry basis wt.                                                  ______________________________________                                        Wheat bran        25-75%                                                      Oat bran         5-30                                                         Nuggets (75% psyllium)                                                                         3-40                                                         Sugar            5-30                                                         ______________________________________                                    

Other proportions and types of bulk cereal ingredients known to the artin the manufacture of cereal flakes can be used in formulating theresultant mixture with the psyllium-containing nuggets. The proportionof wheat bran and oat bran components can be varied widely and knowncereal flake ingredients can be readily substituted. For example,standard cereal ingredients may be substituted including whole grainssuch as whole wheat, rice, oats, barley, corn and rye, grain componentssuch as wheat germ and brans including oat bran, wheat bran, etc.,flours such as wheat flour, corn flour, etc., legumes such as soybeans,peas, beans and the like, and non-bran fiber sources such as prunefiber, guar, beet fiber, and citrus pulp, and other novel raw materialingredients.

Preferably, 10-20% by dry weight of the blended mixture is theintermediate nuggets, containing at least 75% by dry weight psyllium.More or less can be used depending upon the concentration of psyllium inthe intermediate product and the desired psyllium concentration for thefinal product. It has been found that a desirable addition of thepsyllium nuggets is on the order of 15-16% by dry weight, if thepsyllium concentration of the nuggets is the preferred 75%.

Following blending, the mixture is pelletized, dried and tempered underconditions which do not lead to the development of undesirable psylliumflavor or texture. The pellets are then flaked, toasted and passed to acoating zone to produce a psyllium-containing ready-to-eat cereal in theform of flakes. The steps of this process, after the addition andblending of the psyllium nuggets with the cooked bran ingredients,follow conventional cereal-making techniques.

A particularly preferred psyllium-containing ready-to-eat cereal is branflakes with psyllium, having the composition by weight shown in Table 4below.

                  TABLE 4                                                         ______________________________________                                                            % Dry basis wt.                                           ______________________________________                                        Bulk ingredients                                                              Heavy wheat bran      50.41                                                   Oat bran              12.20                                                   Sugar                 8.13                                                    Beet fiber            2.44                                                    Prune powder          2.42                                                    Rice flour            2.11                                                    HFCS (High fructose corn syrup)                                                                     1.63                                                    Salt                  0.89                                                    Barley malt syrup     0.81                                                    Agar Gum              0.09                                                    Calcium carbonate     0.08                                                    Trisodium phosphate   0.05                                                    Carmel color          0.04                                                    Psyllium-containing additive @ 15.5%:                                         75% Psyllium          11.63                                                   15% Oat bran          2.33                                                    5% Sucrose            0.78                                                    5% Rice flour         0.78                                                    Coating @ 3.2%:                                                               Sucrose               2.00                                                    Honey                 1.00                                                    Salt                  0.20                                                                          100.02                                                  ______________________________________                                    

The above bran flakes exhibit the good color, flavor, appearance andtexture typical of similar bran flakes made without the addition of thepsyllium nuggets, and the flakes exhibit none of the undesirable flavorand mouthfeel characteristics of psyllium. In taste panel testing of thepsyllium-containing bran flakes of Table 4, the cereal product of thepresent invention was rated acceptable.

The invention is further illustrated but not limited by the followingexamples.

EXAMPLE 1

A psyllium containing ready-to-eat cereal in the form of extrudedmorsels was produced having a final composition on a dry weight basis asset forth in Table 5 below.

                  TABLE 5                                                         ______________________________________                                        Ingredient           Percent Dry Basis                                        ______________________________________                                        Wheat Bran           49.9                                                     Sugar                23.1                                                     Psyllium Husk no Citric Acid                                                                       13.0                                                     Corn Bran            8.9                                                      High Fructose Corn Syrup [HFCS]                                                                    3.1                                                      Salt                 1.6                                                      Sodium Bicarbonate   0.25000                                                  Vitamin C            0.05959                                                  Vitamin A & D conc. with BHT                                                                       0.02273                                                  Annatto              0.02000                                                  Vitamin B3           0.01818                                                  Zinc Oxide           0.01705                                                  Iron                 0.01636                                                  Vitamin B6           0.00233                                                  Vitamin B2           0.00155                                                  Vitamin B1           0.00136                                                  Folic Acid           0.00036                                                                       100.00951                                                ______________________________________                                    

The extruded morsels were prepared in the following fashion. All of theingredients except HFCS, Vitamins A & D and Vitamin C were first mixed.The mixture was then cooked and extruded into pieces, while HFCS wasinjected into the ingredients mixture. The food exit temperature was350°-400° F., and the moisture content after cooling was 5%. Theextruded pieces were then toasted and vitamins A & D and vitamin C weresprayed thereon. The product finished with a food moisture of 3%. Intaste panel testing, the product was rated acceptable.

EXAMPLE 2

Psyllium-containing intermediate nuggets were prepared having a finalcomposition on a dry weight basis as set forth in Table 6 below.

                  TABLE 6                                                         ______________________________________                                        Ingredient            Percent Dry Basis                                       ______________________________________                                        Psyllium Husks with 1.5% Citric Acid                                                                75.0                                                    Oat Bran              15.0                                                    Rice Flour            5.0                                                     Sucrose               5.0                                                                           100.0                                                   ______________________________________                                    

The psyllium husks had been sterilized by extrusion. All of theingredients were first mixed and then directly expanded using anextruder. The product exit temperature from the extruder was 190° F andthe moisture content after cooling was 31%. The product was then driedfor 30 minutes at 210° F. to a moisture content of 3%.

EXAMPLE 3

The bran flake ready-to-eat cereal set forth in Table 4 was prepared inthe following manner. The bulk dry ingredients were first mixed and thenthe flavoring ingredients sugar, salt, color, HFCS, and malt syrup,which had previously been diluted with warm water, were added in arotating cooker. The bulk ingredients were then cooked for 65 minutes at17 psi. Thereafter, the psyllium-containing intermediate nuggets havingthe composition set forth in Table 4, and prepared in accordance withthe procedure described in Example 2, were blended with the bran cook ina mixer. The blended mixture was then milled with a Fitz mill andpelletized, and the pellets dried to a moisture content of 20%. Theproduct was then tempered hot for 30 minutes, flaked and toasted at 370°F. The finished flakes had a food moisture content of 3%. The producthad a crispy texture, desirable appearance and acceptable flavor.

EXAMPLE 4

Another bran flake ready-to-eat cereal enriched with psyllium wasprepared having a final composition on a dry weight basis as set forthin Table 7 below.

                  TABLE 7                                                         ______________________________________                                        Ingredients            Percent Dry Basis                                      ______________________________________                                        Bran Cook at 80.15%:                                                          Whole Wheat, Chopped   44.71                                                  Oat Bran               11.98                                                  Sugar                  8.27                                                   Wheat Bran             7.19                                                   Prune Powder           2.33                                                   Rice Flour             2.08                                                   High fructose Corn Syrup                                                                             1.60                                                   Salt                   0.88                                                   Barley Malt Syrup      0.80                                                   Guar Gum               0.09                                                   Calcium Carbonate      0.08                                                   Trisodium Phosphate    0.05                                                   Caramel Color          0.04                                                   Vitamin B3             0.01828                                                Iron, Reduced          0.01645                                                Zinc Oxide             0.00685                                                Vitamin B2             0.00155                                                Folic Acid             0.00037                                                Psyllium Nuggets at 16.65%:                                                   75% Psyllium Husk with 1.5% Citric Acid                                                              12.50                                                  15% Oat Bran           2.50                                                   5% Sucrose             0.82                                                   5% Rice Flour          0.82                                                   <0.1% Annatto Color    0.0083                                                 Coating at 3.2%:                                                              Sucrose                3.00                                                   Salt                   0.20                                                   Vitamin Spray:                                                                Vitamin A & D conc., 3% BHT                                                                          0.02285                                                Vitamin B6             0.00234                                                Vitamin B1             0.00137                                                Vitamin B12            0.00055                                                                       100                                                    ______________________________________                                    

The bulk brancook dry ingredients were first mixed. The flavoringingredients comprising sugar, salt, color, HFCS and malt syrup(previously diluted with warm water) were then added to and mixed withthe bulk ingredients in a rotating cooker. The bulk ingredients werecooked for 65 minutes at 17 psi, cooled and screen separated.Thereafter, psyllium-containing intermediate nuggets having acomposition as set forth in Table 7 above, and prepared in accordancewith the procedure described in Example 2, were blended with the bran,and the mixture cooked to completion in a mixer. The mixture was thenmilled, pelletized, and the pellets dried to a moisture content of about20%. The product was tempered hot for 30 minutes, flaked and toasted at370° F. The flakes were then sprayed with the coating compositiontogether with Vitamins A & D, B6, B12 and B1. The finished flakes had afood moisture content of about 3%. The product had a crispy texture,desirable appearance and acceptable flavor.

EXAMPLE 5

A psyllium-containing ready-to-eat bran cereal in the form of biscuitswas prepared having a final composition on a dry weight basis as setforth in Table 8 below.

                  TABLE 8                                                         ______________________________________                                        Ingredient        Percent Dry Basis                                           ______________________________________                                        Heavy Bran, Wheat 62.3                                                        Light Bran, Wheat 26.2                                                        Sucrose           3.9                                                         High Fructose Corn Syrup                                                                        2.4                                                         Psyllium Seed Husk                                                                              2.0                                                         Salt              1.7                                                         Malt Syrup        1.5                                                         Iron              0.02946                                                     Zinc Oxide        0.03068                                                     Vitamin B3        0.01818                                                     Vitamin B2        0.00155                                                     Folic Acid        0.00036                                                                       100.08023                                                   ______________________________________                                    

The sucrose, HFCS, salt, malt syrup, vitamins and minerals were mixedwith water to make flavor and deliver a 29% moisture content to thecooker. The flavor ingredients were then mixed with the heavy bran andtempered for 15 minutes. The light bran and psyllium seed husks werethen added and the mixture cooked. The cooked product was cooled,separated and dried briefly, after which it was tempered warm for 30minutes. The product was then shredded into biscuit shapes and toastedin a conventional oven. The resultant product was a biscuit shapedready-to-eat cereal having an acceptable flavor, texture and appearance.

EXAMPLE 6

Another psyllium-containing intermediate nugget product was preparedhaving a final composition on a dry weight basis set forth in Table 9below.

                  TABLE 9                                                         ______________________________________                                        Ingredient      Percent Dry Basis                                             ______________________________________                                        Psyllium Seed Husk                                                                            50.0                                                          Wheat Bran      30.0                                                          Sucrose         10.0                                                          Rice Flour      10.0                                                                          100.0                                                         ______________________________________                                    

All of the ingredients were mixed and then directly expanded using anextruder. The product was dried for 30 minutes at 200° F to a 3%moisture content.

EXAMPLE 7

Yet another psyllium-containing intermediate nugget product was preparedhaving a final composition on a dry weight basis set forth in Table 10below.

                  TABLE 10                                                        ______________________________________                                        Ingredient      Percent Dry Basis                                             ______________________________________                                        Psyllium Seed Husk                                                                            75.0                                                          Wheat Bran      15.0                                                          Sucrose         5.0                                                           Rice Flour      5.0                                                                           100.0                                                         ______________________________________                                    

The ingredients were mixed and directly expanded using an extruder. Theflour mix was added at the rate of 1.8 lbs per minute together withwater at the rate of 0.6 lbs per minute. The die pressure was 1300lbs/square inch and the temperature of zone 1 was 127° F. and zone 2,260° F. The extruded product was then dried for 30 minutes at 200° F. to3% moisture content.

EXAMPLE 8

A psyllium-containing bran flake ready-to-eat cereal was prepared usingcooked bran bulk ingredients from standard Kellogg 40% bran flakeformula and process. The cooked bran bulk ingredients were mixed withpsyllium nuggets of Example 6 in the proportion of 76% cooked bulk braningredients and 24% psyllium nuggets, by dry weight basis. Theingredients were mixed for 3 minutes after which they were pelletizedand dried for 5 minutes at 200° F. The product was tempered hot for 60minutes, flaked and then toasted.

EXAMPLE 9

A wheat biscuit ready-to-eat cereal enriched with psyllium was preparedin the following manner. Seventy-one parts by dry weight soft whitewinter wheat was cooked and then chopped. The chopped wheat was mixedthoroughly with 24 parts by dry weight psyllium nuggets prepared inaccordance with Example 6. Water was added to adjust the mixture to amoisture content of about 40%. The mixture was then tempered for 30minutes, and processed through a shred mill. Five parts by dry weightbrown sugar were added to the shreds, which were then cut into a biscuitshape, and toasted. The product processed well and was deemed acceptablefor flavor, appearance and color, and especially liked for texture.

EXAMPLE 10

Cinnamon cookies enriched using a psyllium-containing intermediatenugget product were prepared using the ingredients set forth in Table 11below, with each composition on an as is percent basis.

                  TABLE 11                                                        ______________________________________                                        Ingredients       Percent As Is                                               ______________________________________                                        Cinnamon          1.5                                                         Shortening        13.0                                                        Lecithin          0.2                                                         Vanilla Extract, 2×                                                                       0.4                                                         Salt              0.3                                                         Baking Soda       0.25                                                        Baking Powder     0.1                                                         Ammonium Bicarbonate                                                                            0.25                                                        Sugar             18.0                                                        Psyllium Nuggets  22.0                                                        Almonds, Diced    10.0                                                        Wheat Flour       25.0                                                        Water             9.0                                                                           100.0                                                       ______________________________________                                    

The psyllium nuggets were prepared in accordance with Example 6 aboveexcept the psyllium seed husks contained no citric acid. The cinnamon,shortening and lecithin were mixed first for two minutes at high speedin a dough mixer. All the remaining ingredients (except water) were thenadded and mixed for two minutes at low speed. The psyllium nuggets wereprepared in accordance with Example 6. The water was then added and theproduct mixed two more minutes at low speed. The dough was thenseparated into cookies and baked at 340° F. for about 11 1/2 minutes.The product had a desirable crispy texture, good flavor and satisfactoryappearance.

EXAMPLE 11

Another psyllium-containing bran flake ready-to-eat cereal was preparedusing cooked bran ingredients from standard Kellogg 40% bran flakeformula and process. Eighty parts by dry weight of the cooked bran bulkingredients were mixed with 20 parts by dry weight psyllium seed husksfor one minute. Water was added to adjust the moisture content up to32.2% and the mixing continued for an additional two minutes. Themixture was pelletized, dried for six minutes at 200° F., and temperedhot for one hour The tempered product was then separated, flaked andtoasted.

EXAMPLE 12

A ready-to-eat rice flaked cereal containing psyllium was prepared inthe following manner. Seventy parts by dry basis weight cooked rice,prepared in a conventional manner, was dried to a moisture content ofabout 12%. Twenty parts by dry weight psyllium seed husk and 10 parts bydry weight sucrose were separately mixed together. Thereafter, thecooked rice was added to the mixed ingredients and thoroughly mixed withwater added to a moisture content of about 24%. The mixture was thenextruded and cut into pellets, which were then dried and cooled. Thepellets were then flaked and dried in a conventional manner, thentoasted.

The following tests demonstrate the hypocholesterolemic effect of theintermediate psyllium-containing product per se and thehypocholesterolemic effect of psyllium-containing ready-to-eat cerealsof the present invention.

EXAMPLE 13

A psyllium-containing cereal of the present invention was compared withcellulose and wheat bran controls to determine the hypocholesterolemiceffect of the psyllium-containing cereal. The psyllium-containing cerealwas psyllium bran flakes having the composition, and having beenprepared in accordance with the procedures, described in Example 11. Thecellulose and the wheat bran control diets were prepared exactly in themanner of the psyllium bran flakes diet.

Golden Syrian hamsters were divided into three groups, each group havinga total of 14 hamsters, all male. All of the hamsters were fed anacclimatization diet procedure as follows: (1) Purina chow for 2 days,(2) a 50/50 mixture of Purina chow and wheat bran diet for 3 days, (3) a25/75 mixture of Purina chow and wheat bran diet for 3 days. Afterwards,they were assigned according to their body weights to one of thetreatments by a randomized block design. One group was fed thecellulose-based diet, another group was fed the wheat bran-based diet,and the final group was fed a diet based on the psyllium-containingready-to-eat cereal of Example 11. The compositions of the three dietswere as shown in Table 12, with all amounts expressed as parts byweight. All diets had at least 5% safflower oil to ensure sufficientsupply of essential fatty acids. Levels of all nutrients were balancedfor all diets. The same nutrient/energy ratio was maintained for eachnutrient in all diets. To compensate for the vitamins and minerals inBran Flakes, additional vitamins and minerals as indicated in Table 12were incorporated into the diets.

                  TABLE 12                                                        ______________________________________                                                                      Diet 3                                                     Diet 1 Diet 2      Psyllium-                                                  Cellulose                                                                            Wheat Bran.sup.1                                                                          Bran Flakes.sup.2                               ______________________________________                                        Test material                                                                              0        25.4        33.1                                        Casein (89%) 22.4     17.62       18.38                                       DL-methionine                                                                              0.2      0.15        0.15                                        L-lysine     0        0.1         0.1                                         Beef tallow  7        7           7                                           Safflower oil                                                                              5        3.65        4.54                                        Coconut oil  2        2           2                                           Starch       32.08    26.85       18.84                                       Sugar        15       15          11.36                                       Cellulose.sup.3                                                                            10       0           0                                           AIN-76 vitamin mix                                                                         1.2      1.2         1.2                                         AIN mineral mix                                                                            4        4           4                                           (NaCl free)                                                                   TD 86126                                                                      Choline chloride                                                                           0.5      0.5         0.5                                         Cholesterol  0.125    0.125       0.125                                       NaCl         0.5      0.5         0                                           Total parts  100.01   104.10      101.30                                      Additives.sup.4 (mg):                                                         Riboflavin   0.4      0.3         0                                           Niacin       6.8      0           2.2                                         Folic acid   0.1      0.1         0                                           Fe citrate   12.4     0           2.9                                         (16-17% Fe)                                                                   ZnCO.sub.3 (70% ZnO)                                                                       6.7      3.1         0                                           K-citrate-H.sub.2 O                                                                        2565.4   0           1565.0                                      (K.sub.3 C.sub.6 H.sub.5 O.sub.7 H.sub.2 O)                                   K.sub.2 SO.sub.4                                                                           202.0    0           123.2                                       ______________________________________                                         .sup.1 Wheat bran has the composition shown in Table 13 below.                .sup.2 Psylliumbran flakes has the composition shown in Table 13 below.       .sup.3 The cellulose was Solka Floc having a particle size less than 0.35     microns.                                                                      .sup.4 The actual amounts of elemental mineral added were: Cellulose  2.1     mg Fe, 3.5 mg Zn and 400.0 mg K; Wheat bran  1.6 mg Zn; and Psylliumbran      flakes  0.5 mg Fe and 244.0 mg K.                                        

                  TABLE 13                                                        ______________________________________                                        Composition per 100 g                                                                      Wheat bran                                                                            Psyllium-                                                             (AACC)  Bran Flakes                                              ______________________________________                                        Water, g       9.54      2.65                                                 Ash, g         6.10      3.80                                                 Fat, g         5.33      1.40                                                 Protein, g     16.99     11.95                                                TDF.sup.1, g   39.4      30.2                                                 NDF.sup.2, g             14.3                                                 Sugars, g                11.0                                                 Starch, g      20.6      40.0                                                 Sodium, mg     16.0      604.0                                                ______________________________________                                         .sup.1 Total Dietary Fiber                                                    .sup.2 Neutraldetergent Fiber                                                 .sup.3 Calculated by difference                                          

Three-week food efficiency rations, food intakes, and total body weightgains of the 3 groups of hamsters were not different. For those animalsassigned to diets other than the wheat bran control (diets 1 and 3), theswitch from the acclimatization-diet to the experimental diet requiredsome adaptation to the change in the texture and taste of the diet.Those assigned to the psyllium-BF based diet (diet 3) were likely tohave experienced a greater change in food intake (see FIG. 2), reflectedin body weight gain (FIG. 3) and feed efficiency ratio (FIG. 1) thanthose assigned to the cellulose control diet (diet 1) because of thesignificant difference in texture and taste of the cereal prototype fromcellulose and wheat bran. This is reflected in the lower weight gainsand food intakes of animals fed diets 1 and 3; and more so for diet 3fed animals initially at the first week. At the beginning of the secondweek Diets 1 and 3 fed animals had caught up in food intake and weightgain with animals fed the control wheat bran diet. The weekly feedefficiency, food intake, and body weight gain data are shown in FIGS. 1,2 and 3 below.

Serum lipid levels of the three groups of hamsters were measured after 3weeks of being fed the cellulose, wheat bran or psyllium-bran flakesdiet. The results are shown in Table 14 below.

                  TABLE 14                                                        ______________________________________                                        Serum lipid levels (mean +/- SD)                                                       DIET                                                                                               Psullium-                                                Cellulose                                                                              Wheat Bran  Bran Flakes                                     ______________________________________                                        TG.sup.1, mg/dl                                                                          154 +/- 60 153 +/- 71  114 +/- 41                                  TC.sup.2, mg/dl                                                                          240 +/- 22 236 +/- 18  133 +/- 17                                  HDLC.sup.3, mg/dl                                                                        171 +/- 17 159 +/- 17   91 +/- 11                                  HDLC/TC, % 71 +/- 5   68 +/- 8    70 +/- 7                                    ______________________________________                                         .sup.1 Triglycerides                                                          .sup.2 Total cholesterol                                                      .sup.3 High density lipoprotein cholesterol                              

These results shown in Table 14 demonstrate the dramatichypocholesterolemic effect achieved by a diet containing thepsyllium-containing cereal of the present invention.

The liver lipid levels of the three groups of hamsters were alsomeasured after 3 weeks of being fed the cellulose, wheat bran orpsyllium-bran flakes diet. The results are shown below in Table 15.

                  TABLE 15                                                        ______________________________________                                        Liver lipid levels (mg/g, mean +/- SD)                                                 DIET                                                                                               Psullium-                                                Cellulose                                                                              Wheat Bran  Bran Flakes                                     ______________________________________                                        Free Cholesterol                                                                         1.9 +/- 0.2                                                                              1.7 +/- 0.3 1.6 +/- 0.3                                 Cholesteryl                                                                              12.5 +/- 2.4                                                                             10.6 +/- 3.0                                                                              1.4 +/- 0.9                                 Esters                                                                        Triglycerides                                                                            3.3 +/- 1.1                                                                              2.2 +/- 0.7 4.4 +/- 3.0                                 Phospholipids                                                                            17.6 +/- 2.1                                                                             16.2 +/- 3.6                                                                              16.7 +/- 3.8                                Total Lipids                                                                             45.8 +/- 6.1                                                                             39.6 +/- 9.0                                                                              27.8 +/- 6.4                                ______________________________________                                    

The results shown in Table 15 demonstrate the significant reduction inliver lipid levels achieved through a diet of the psyllium-containingcereal of the present invention.

EXAMPLE 14

A second hamster study was conducted to determine thehypocholesterolemic efficacy of the psyllium-containing bran flakesproduced in accordance with Example 11 above, in a dose response trial.At the same time, a rice flaked ready-to-eat cereal product, containinga therapeutic quantity of psyllium and prepared as in Example 12, abovewas tested with the psyllium-containing intermediate nugget productprepared in accordance with Example 6 above. The psyllium-containingbran flakes were provided in the diet at four different levels: 8.2% ,16.6% , 24.9% and 33.1%, all diets providing 10% TDF and between 1.3%and 5.3% TDF-NDF. The other two test prototypes were provided in thediet at about 33%, providing 10% TDF and 5.3% TDF-NDF.

Hence, six groups of Golden Syrian hamsters each were fed dietscontaining the different levels and kinds of psyllium-containing cerealproducts described. A control group of Golden Syrian hamsters was fedconventional unprocessed wheat bran instead of a psyllium-containingcereal product. The test material compositions are shown in Table 16,and the test diet compositions are shown in Table 17.

                  TABLE 16                                                        ______________________________________                                        Composition (%) of Test Materials                                                      WB.sup.1                                                                           BF-P.sup.2                                                                              SK-P.sup.3                                                                            P nuggets.sup.4                               ______________________________________                                        Water      9.54   2.65      3.2   2.3                                         Ash        6.1    3.8       3.03  3.56                                        Fat        5.33   1.40      0.2   0.6                                         Protein    16.99  10.95     6.3   9.0                                         NDF               14.25     3.0   6.8                                         TDF        39.4   30.2      16.6  22.6                                        TDF-NDF           15.9      13.6  15.8                                        Sugars            11.0      14.6  12.6                                        Starch.sup.5                                                                             20.6   40.0      56.07 49.34                                       Sodium, mg 0.04   604       809.86                                                                              820.4                                       ______________________________________                                         .sup.1 Wheat bran                                                             .sup.2 Psylliumcontaining bran flakes                                         .sup.3 Psylliumcontaining rice flakes                                         .sup.4 Psylliumcontaining additive of the present invention                   .sup.5 Calculated                                                        

                                      TABLE 17                                    __________________________________________________________________________               WB  BF-P                                                                              BF-P                                                                              BF-P                                                                              BF-P                                                                              SK-F                                                                              P-ns                                       __________________________________________________________________________    Test material                                                                 (% of diet)                                                                              0   33.1                                                                              24.85                                                                             16.55                                                                             8.20                                                                              38.68                                                                             33.29                                      Wheat bran 25.4                                                                              0   6.35                                                                              12.7                                                                              19.1                                                                              9.09                                                                              6.29                                       (% of diet)                                                                   TDF (% of  39.4                                                                              30.2            16.6                                                                              22.6                                       test material)                                                                TDF-NDF (% of  15.9            13.6                                                                              15.8                                       test material)                                                                TDF (% of diet)                                                                          10.0                                                                              20.0                                                                              10.0                                                                              10.0                                                                              10.0                                                                              10.0                                           TDF-NDF    0   5.27                                                                              3.95                                                                              2.64                                                                              1.32                                                                              5.26                                                                              5.26                                       (% of diet)                                                                   casein     17.62                                                                             18.38                                                                             18.20                                                                             18.01                                                                             17.81                                                                             18.00                                                                             17.90                                      (89.3%)                                                                       DL-meth    0.15                                                                              0.15                                                                              0.15                                                                              0.15                                                                              0.15                                                                              0.15                                                                              0.15                                       L-lysine   0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1                                        beef tallow                                                                              7   7   7   7   7   7   7                                          safflower oil                                                                            3.65                                                                              4.54                                                                              4.31                                                                              4.09                                                                              3.86                                                                              4.44                                                                              4.46                                       coconut oil                                                                              2   2   2   2   2   2   2                                          starch     26.85                                                                             18.84                                                                             20.84                                                                             22.84                                                                             24.84                                                                             8.52                                                                              14.35                                      sucrose    15  11.36                                                                             12.27                                                                             13.18                                                                             14.09                                                                             9.35                                                                              10.87                                      AIN vit mix                                                                              1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2                                        AIN mineral                                                                              4   4   4   4   4   4   4                                          (--NaCl) mix                                                                  NaCl       0.5 0   0.12                                                                              0.24                                                                              0.36                                                                              0.19                                                                              0.22                                       choline Cl 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5                                        cholesterol                                                                              0.125                                                                             0.125                                                                             0.125                                                                             0.125                                                                             0.125                                                                             0.125                                                                             0.125                                      Total      104.10                                                                            100.30                                                                            102.02                                                                            102.69                                                                            103.34                                                                            103.35                                                                            102.46                                     Additives (mg):                                                               Riboflavin 0.3 0   0.08                                                                              0.16                                                                              0.24                                                                              0.37                                                                              0.38                                       Niacin     0   2.15                                                                              1.61                                                                              1.07                                                                              0.53                                                                              4.36                                                                              5.11                                       Folic acid 0.1 0   0.03                                                                              0.05                                                                              0.07                                                                              0.1 0.1                                        Fe Citrate 0   2.25                                                                              1.66                                                                              1.07                                                                              0   7.17                                                                              8.40                                       ZnCO3 (70% ZnO)*                                                                         3.0 0   0.68                                                                              1.39                                                                              2.07                                                                              4.93                                                                              5.30                                       K3CitrateH2O                                                                             0   522.4                                                                             389.0                                                                             260.0                                                                             130.0                                                                             549.0                                                                             642.0                                      K2SO4      0   123 92.0                                                                              61.0                                                                              31.0                                                                              129.0                                                                             152.0                                      __________________________________________________________________________    Actual amount of                                                              elemental mineral                                                             added (in mg):                                                                Fe         0   0.42                                                                              0.31                                                                              0.20                                                                              0   1.34                                                                              1.57                                       Zn         1.57                                                                              0   0.39                                                                              0.79                                                                              1.18                                                                              2.81                                                                              3.02                                       K          0   244 183 122 61  258 302                                        __________________________________________________________________________     *ZnCO3 2ZnO 3H2O                                                         

Serum cholesterol levels of the seven groups of hamsters were measuredafter 3 weeks of being fed the diet prescribed in Table 17. The resultsare shown in Table 18.

                                      TABLE 18                                    __________________________________________________________________________             Serum cholesterol Levels:                                                     WB BF-P BF-P                                                                              BF-P BF-P                                                                              SK-P                                                                              P-ns                                        __________________________________________________________________________    TC, mg/dl                                                                              226                                                                              124  145 164  202 120 145                                         HDLC, mg/dl                                                                            163                                                                              92   100 120  151 94  111                                         HDLC/TC, %                                                                              72                                                                              74    69  73   75 78   77                                         __________________________________________________________________________

As shown, this study demonstrates the significant cholesterol loweringeffect of all three psyllium-containing samples compared to the wheatbran control, with the psyllium-containing bran flakes showing asignificant dose-response effect.

While not intending to be bound by any scientific theory, it is believedthat the active psyllium ingredient for the psyllium enriched breakfastcereal and psyllium intermediate products of present invention is themucilaginous water soluble complex carbohydrate material. This solublegum is concentrated in the psyllium seed husk. By processing thepsyllium husk in accordance with the present invention, the therapeuticbenefits possible from ingesting the psyllium gum can be achieved whileat the same time masking the organoleptic drawbacks associated withprior attempts to incorporate psyllium in other type food products.

In addition to hypocholesterolemic effect of the psyllium-containingproducts of the present invention, it is believed that these productsproduce other therapeutic benefits when ingested by animals. Morespecifically, it is believed that the products of the present inventioncan be effective in lowering glycemic index and as a laxative moreeffective than psyllium alone.

Further, it is believed that other ingredients, such as fruitcompositions, nuts, and the like, to add flavor and/or texture can beadded to the ready-to-eat cereal of the present invention withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention. Further, it is notintended that the present invention be limited to only the describedembodiments. Modification of these embodiments will undoubtedly berecognized by those skilled in the art. Rather, the invention should becircumscribed by the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:
 1. A psyllium-containing ready-to-eat cereal productcomprising on a dry weight basis 62% heavy wheat bran; 26% light wheatbran; and 2% psyllium.
 2. The ready-to-eat cereal of claim 1 furthercomprising salt, malt syrup, vitamins and minerals.
 3. The ready-to-eatcereal of claim 2 further comprising sucrose and high fructose cornsyrup.
 4. The ready-to-eat cereal of claim 1 in the shape of a biscuit.5. A psyllium-containing ready-to-eat cereal product having a good mouthfeel, textural and flavor characteristics comprising, on a dry weightbasis 62% heavy wheat bran; 26% light wheat bran; and 2% psyllium, thereminder comprising sweetening products, vitamins and minerals.
 6. Aprocess for making a psyllium-containing ready-to-eat cereal of claim 1comprising:heating the required amount of heavy bran; mixing light branand psyllium with the heavy bran to form a mixture; and cooking themixture to form a cooked product.
 7. The process of claim 6 whereinflavor ingredients are added to the heavy bran.
 8. The process of claim6 wherein the cooled product is shredded into biscuit shapes.
 9. Theprocess of claim 8 wherein the biscuit shapes are toasted.
 10. Apsyllium-containing ready-to-eat cereal product comprising on a dryweight basis 49% wheat bran; 9% corn bran; and 13% psyllium.
 11. Theready-to-eat cereal of claim 10 further comprising flavoringingredients.
 12. The ready-to-eat cereal of claim 11 further comprisingvitamins and minerals.
 13. The ready-to-eat cereal of claim 10 in theform of extruded morsels.
 14. The ready-to-eat cereal of claim 11wherein the flavoring ingredients comprise sugar and corn syrup.
 15. Thepsyllium-containing ready-to-eat cereal product having a good mouthfeel, textural and flavor characteristics comprising on a dry weightbasis 49% wheat bran; 9% corn bran; and 13% psyllium.